ALBION, Mich. - The Elmhurst University men's lacrosse team remained undefeated as they improved to 8-0 with a decisive 14-6 victory over Albion on the road.

Elmhurst set the tone early, dominating both ends of the field with precise shooting and relentless defense. Despite a few surges from Albion, Elmhurst consistently extended their lead throughout the game, ultimately outscoring the Britons in each of the first three periods. A late push from Albion in the fourth quarter was not enough to overcome the deficit.

Hunter Hernandez led the way for Elmhurst, scoring five goals and adding an assist. Eli Spence orchestrated the offense with one goal and seven assists, while Fischer Son made a notable contribution with two goals and one assist. On the defensive end, goalie Noah Mickelson made 12 saves on 18 shots, anchoring the back line with consistency. Additionally, Kaden Ames and Pete Grebe each added a power-play goal to bolster Elmhurst's lead.

Elmhurst started the game aggressively, scoring three unanswered goals to establish early control. Brenden Crouse opened the scoring with an even-strength goal at 13:44, assisted by Spence. Less than four minutes later, Spence found the net himself with a goal assisted by Son. The first period's offensive push concluded with a goal from Tommy Smyth at 8:31. Albion finally got on the board when Cal Stearns scored with 3:24 remaining, thanks to an assist from Andrew Miller, cutting Elmhurst's lead to 3-1 at the end of the first period.

The second period saw Elmhurst's offense hit another gear, scoring five goals to Albion's two. Ames scored on a power play at 9:30, with Spence setting him up. Moments later, Sam Hoff added another goal at 8:16. Elmhurst continued to build their lead with a power-play goal from Grebe at 5:46, followed by goals from Cullen McManaman and Hernandez. Albion responded with a goal from Luke Schuemann at 4:43, assisted by Joey Pipesh, but Elmhurst's relentless pressure left the halftime score at 8-3 in favor of the Bluejays.

Elmhurst maintained its dominance in the third period, adding five more goals to Albion's single tally. Hernandez completed his hat trick with goals at 13:36, 10:54, and 8:11, continuing to slice through Albion's defense with ease. Son also found the back of the net twice during the period, scoring at 8:58 and 7:11. Albion managed to pull one back with Logan Mozingo's goal at 1:04, but the period ended with Elmhurst firmly in control at 13-4.

Albion showed some life in the final period, scoring twice to Elmhurst's one. Cal Stearns recorded his third goal of the game at 5:11, and Fabrizio Raciti followed up with a goal just 52 seconds later, assisted by Andrew Miller. However, Elmhurst's Hernandez capped off the scoring at 2:56 with his fifth goal of the game, sealing the 14-6 victory for the Bluejays. Despite a strong finish from Albion, it was too little, too late to challenge Elmhurst's commanding lead.

UP NEXT

The Bluejays head to Colorado for their spring break trip, taking on Colorado College on Friday, March 28 at 7:00 p.m.

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